He smiled and wondered what Lucy would think of being compared to a horse. She might not take it as the compliment it was intended to be.
Lucy shifted in the truck seat to watch him as he drove. “What are you smiling about?”
He flashed a guilty grin. “I’d tell you, but it’s not wise to tempt you to hit me while I’m driving.”
“I would never—” Lucy stopped as she seemed to remember the time she had hit him. “I’ve never hit anyone besides you.”
He winked at her. “So I was your first.”
She rolled her eyes but looked as if she were fighting back a smile. “You like to push your luck, don’t you?” He loved how comfortable she was becoming with him.
He wiggled his eyebrows and shot her a lusty grin. “Only with you.”
“You’re impossible,” she said with a laugh.
“And you are gorgeous when you laugh.” Lucy’s smile fell away, and if David hadn’t been driving, he would have hugged her. It was as he’d suspected: somewhere along the way, she’d stopped seeing herself as beautiful. He reached for her hand and brought it to rest beneath his on his thigh. “Do you remember the first time we met?” he asked.
Lucy’s hand shook beneath his. “Tony had sent you to see if you could help out.”
“That was why I was here, but that’s not what I remember about that day. You answered the door, and everything I’d planned to say flew clear out of my head. I’m not a young boy. I’ve met a fair share of women, but you were stunning. You worried if I was tired and hungry from the drive, but all I could think about was how beautiful you were.”
Lucy’s hand felt cold beneath his, but she didn’t withdraw it. “I don’t have good memories from that day. I had just accepted the loan from Ted. I was feeling pretty low about that and then felt worse when I realized you also wanted to help me. I didn’t want to ruin what I thought was a solution. I wish I could go back and not have been such a gullible—”
“Don’t beat yourself up over something that’s done, Lucy. Everyone regrets something. I don’t trust anyone who says they’ve never done anything they’re ashamed of.”
In a heartbreakingly raw tone, she asked, “Could we please not talk about it anymore?”
He tightened his hand on hers. “What are you so afraid of?”
Lucy turned her face to look out the window, and he cursed himself for pushing her too far too fast. They rode in silence to the small airport. Soon after they parked, they met the pilot and were led to a six-seater plane. Though Lucy was polite, her answers were short. They settled into seats that faced the same direction with a narrow aisle between them. As they taxied down the runway, David was tempted to take her hand in his again, but he told himself to be patient.
They were above the clouds by the time she met his eyes again and spoke. “I used to be brave. In fact, my parents called me fearless. I would decide to do something, and nothing would stand in my way. I flew cross-country by myself without thinking twice. Moving away was an adventure, and I used to love the excitement of not knowing what would come next. Back then, I thought if I worked hard and was a good person, nothing bad would ever happen to me.”
“That’s not the way life works.”
“No, it’s not. When my father died, my mother was so sad. I thought having us around would make her happy. I promised her whatever I thought it would take to make her see how much we loved her. It wasn’t enough. I’m guessing you heard about how she died.”
“I did.” He kept his answer short, hoping it would encourage her to keep talking.
“I don’t know why my brother waited until it was too late to tell me about our financial problems. Maybe I could have done something. Maybe he knew I couldn’t have. I don’t know. By the time he told me, he’d already given up on the ranch and me.”
He hated that there was nothing he could do to change what had happened to her. She didn’t trust people to stay with her, because they hadn’t. “Lucy, none of that was your fault.”
With a pained expression, she closed her eyes for a moment. “That’s what I tell myself, but believing it is the hard part. I can only imagine what you must think of me for taking money from Ted—and then you.”
This time, David did reach for her hand. “You were a person in need, and he took advantage of that.”
Lucy looked down at their linked hands. “I don’t like to see myself as weak, but I let myself get engaged to a man I didn’t love, so I don’t know who I am anymore.” She weaved her fingers with his. “You asked me what I’m afraid of. I’m afraid I may not be the person I thought I was. I might be so much less.” She blinked back tears, and David’s heart clenched in his chest at the sight, but he kept silent. “I know you like me, David, but I don’t know if I have anything to offer anyone. I’m afraid of being alone. I’m afraid of being with someone. You scare the hell out of me. I like you, but I don’t know if I could handle losing someone else. Sometimes I think it would be a whole lot easier on both of us if we never saw each other again. I’m not myself right now, David, and you need to know that, because I don’t want to hurt you.”
David was glad, right then, that they hadn’t slept with each other yet. She had some healing to do before she’d trust what they felt for each other. “I’m not going anywhere, Lucy, but you don’t have to believe that today. And before you worry about hurting me, I’m a grown man. I know the risks. Worry less about me and more about what you need from this trip. If you could wave a wand and have these few days be any way you wanted, what would that be?”
Her eyes met his and were full of such yearning, he would have promised her anything. “I’d want to forget about everything back in Mavis and enjoy the weekend.”
He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her fingers gently. “So do it.”
She looked deeply into his eyes and bit her bottom lip. “Just like that?”
“Just like that. Lucy Albright, let’s go see people we love and have a few laughs.”
With a shaky sigh, she said, “That sounds perfect.” She smiled, and it lit up her face. “Sarah has been asking me to come visit, and I’ve been putting it off. It’ll be wonderful to see her.”
David nodded. “I’ll enjoy watching Tony sweat a little about the fact that all his help wants to join me in Mavis.”
“They do?” She looked so concerned that he rushed to reassure her.
“Not really. A year ago they would have, but things are better there now. He’s a damn fine horse trainer, and they’d stay just to learn from the best, but even a good man needs his ego trimmed back a bit now and then.”
She looked across at him through her lashes. “Even you?”
As serious as he could force himself to sound, he said, “No. I’m the perfect combination of humble and amazing.”
Her eyebrows shot up, then she laughed and it was music to his ears. “It’s hard to see the humble.”
David kept smiling, simply happy to see her smiling.
She shook her head. “I know the story about how you met Tony, but I can’t imagine the two of you working together for as long as you have. You’re so different. He’s closed off, but you’re easy to get along with.”
It was a question David had been asked many times. “On the surface, Tony and I seem different, but in ways that matter we have similar philosophies. You can tell a lot about a man by how he is around creatures that depend on him. On his worst day, in his darkest of hours, Tony made sure his horses were respected.”
Lucy nodded. “I can see that. What about Mason Thorne? He’s an interesting bird.”
David thought that was a good assessment of the ex-actor turned California State senator. “Once I looked past the bull he spouts, I began to appreciate that he’s often the first one to show up when someone is in a bind. He and Chelle are the perfect pair. She grounds him, and he puts a sparkle in her eyes that wasn’t there before.”
Lucy’s expression closed, and she turned away from him. He didn’t know ex
actly what he’d said that upset her, but he let her withdraw. He’d bring her back to that bridge again and again until she was able to cross it fearlessly.
Chapter Nine
Lucy stared down at the blanket of clouds below the plane and gripped the armrest. When David had mentioned how good Mason and Chelle were for each other, she’d thought, I want that.
That’s all it had taken to send her into an emotional tailspin. Could David and I be that for each other? What if he hates the idea of me selling sex toys?
Stop.
I’m overthinking this.
David’s a nice man.
He’s fun to be with.
None of that means we’ll spend the rest of our lives together or even date. I don’t need his approval.
Enjoy the weekend. Flirt a little.
Nothing has to happen.
She glanced across the small aisle at David. He was reading a magazine, but he looked up and met her eyes. She opened her mouth to apologize. She wanted to say she knew how ungrateful she seemed and how much she appreciated his kindness, but she closed her mouth without uttering a word and turned away from him again.
The pilot announced they were preparing to land, and Lucy let out a sigh of relief. After landing, she unbuckled her seat belt, gathered up her purse, and forced a smile to her face. “I can’t wait to see Sarah.”
When David didn’t say anything, she raised her eyes to his. In one strong, incredibly sexy move, he dug his hand into the hair on the back of her neck and kissed her until she was arching against him wantonly. He released her and said, “Me too,” as if they hadn’t just exchanged a soul-rocking kiss.
Lucy swayed on her feet and brought a shaking hand to her lips. David stepped back and motioned toward the door. “Ready?”
She searched his face for what he was thinking but couldn’t read his expression. “What are we doing, David?”
A gentle smile stretched his lips. “Forgetting about everything else and enjoying the weekend.”
The pilot opened the door of the plane, and before Lucy had time to think much about what David had said, Sarah was bolting up the plane’s steps to hug her. “It is so good to see you,” Sarah exclaimed.
Lucy hugged her back tightly. “You too.”
Once released, Sarah threw her arms around David and gave him what looked like a bone-crunching embrace as well. “It feels like you’ve been gone forever.”
David laughed. “Hardly more than a week.”
Sarah’s smile was infectious. “Tony missed you, too, although he probably won’t say it.” The three of them walked down the steps of the plane together.
Tony pushed himself off from the front of an SUV and came to greet them. He wasn’t the huggable type, but Lucy gave him one anyway. He hugged her back, proof of Sarah’s influence on him.
David and Tony shook hands with warmth. “How is the Double C surviving without me?” David asked.
“It’s barely holding together,” Tony said. That description might have fit the ranch before Sarah came into Tony’s life, but not since. Still, it was probably nice to think he’d been missed.
“So nothing has changed,” David joked.
Tony made a face. “I’ve lost count of how many people came to see you but settled for talking my ear off. How did you ever get anything done?”
Sarah wrapped an arm around Tony’s waist and smiled up at him. “Poor Tony. It’s a burden being so popular.”
He attempted to look irritated, but failed. Instead, he swatted her behind playfully and said, “Don’t mock me, woman, or you’ll ruin my ability to intimidate people.”
Sarah laughed up at him. “That’s already shot to hell. Even Jace isn’t afraid of you anymore.”
David nodded in the vague direction of Tony’s ranch. “How is he?”
The pilot interrupted the conversation briefly to place the luggage in the back of the SUV and to give David and Lucy a card with his number on it. Tony suggested they continue the conversation while driving, and all agreed.
Sarah sat in the front seat with Tony. Lucy was with David behind them. As they drove, Sarah half turned in her seat so she could see them as she spoke. “Jace is still in New York with Charlie and Melanie. He’s anxious for the renovations to be done so they can move back into their house, but he says he’s having fun. We haven’t told him that you left. No one wants to be the one to break that to him.”
David’s expression tightened, and Lucy watched in wonder at his affection for someone else’s child. “He’ll always be welcome wherever I am. He knows that. I’ll make sure I have a man-to-man talk with him when he returns.”
“Can you do that with a six-year-old?” Sarah asked. David grunted as his reply, and Sarah reached back to give his knee a sympathetic pat. She directed her next words to Lucy. “He probably can. David has helped take care of Jace since he was a baby. He’s going to be an incredible father.”
David and Lucy looked at each other and then away. An awkward silence dragged on for several minutes. Eventually, David cleared his throat and asked, “Did Mason and Chelle fly in yet?”
Sarah shook her head. “They were supposed to be here already, but Mason had something come up at the last minute. They should arrive early tonight. They’re staying at a place in town, but I made up the bedroom with the queen-size bed in case—you know. David has his own room in the bunkhouse, but you two can do whatever. We’re all adults.”
Lucy’s face burned with a blush.
David’s eyes danced with amusement when they met hers.
Tony reached for his wife’s hand. “You might want to let them figure all that out for themselves.”
Happily oblivious, Sarah answered, “They shouldn’t feel awkward. We’re fine with whatever. As long as they don’t use that tree in the far field. The one with the low branches that has our names etched in it. That would be weird.”
David covered his mouth with a fist and choked back a pained laugh. “I won’t ask.”
“That’d be for the best,” Tony answered gruffly, but the look he gave Sarah was hot with old memories.
Lucy felt completely off-kilter. Part of her wanted to sink into the seat and disappear, but another part was tempted to laugh along with David. She settled for swatting the side of his leg.
David took her hand and settled it beneath his on his thigh. With a playful grin, he nodded at her as if to ask if she wanted to test out a tree of their own. A collage of erotic possibilities flew through Lucy’s head, and she suddenly found it difficult to think of anything else.
She pictured herself naked with her legs spread at just the right height for David to feast upon. When they kissed, his tongue was strong and bold. Would it be the same as it adored her eager sex? Would he circle her clit or tug at it with his teeth? She closed her eyes briefly and imagined how that powerful tongue would feel plunging in and out of her.
David’s thigh tensed beneath her hand, and when she looked back at him, she saw a mirroring need in his eyes. The front of his jeans bulged, and Lucy fought the impulse to move her hand over to caress him. Although Sarah had turned to face forward and was chatting with Tony, she could turn back at any moment.
David leaned over and spoke softly into her ear. “When you look at me like that, all I can think about is fucking you. I was enjoying the heaven between your legs, and you were begging me not to stop. Tell me you were imagining the same.”
Lucy’s mouth went dry as she fought the desire to turn and kiss the lips that were caressing her ear as he spoke. Saying yes would open a door she wasn’t ready to walk through yet. Even if my body feels ready. So ready.
Sarah saved her from having to answer by turning in her seat again. “We thought we’d have dinner at our place tonight, then do something together in town tomorrow. How does that sound?”
In a somewhat strangled voice, Lucy said, “I’m game for anything.”
“I like the way you think,” David said softly to her, then straightened. Heat spread thro
ugh Lucy until nothing else mattered but David and every place where they were touching. “I’m surprised Melanie and Charles didn’t come back for the weekend.”
“Mason and Chelle are heading to New York next, so I’m sure they’ll meet up then,” Sarah answered.
Tony added, “Mason said he has news.”
Sarah’s smile shone. “Maybe they picked a wedding date.”
“As long as they don’t have it here.”
David smiled across at Lucy. “Tony always did like his privacy. If you think he’s bad now, you should have seen him before he met Sarah. At least now he knows the names of his employees.”
Sarah smiled at that. “Lucy, he really was that bad. He’d fire some of the hands, and David would rehire them without Tony even realizing they were the same men. He refused to talk to anyone but David and Melanie. Then I came along.”
Tony bemoaned, “And ruined my plan to die a lonely, miserable bastard.”
David laughed.
Tony shot a quick glare over his shoulder. “Push me, and we’ll see if we can line up some charity riding lessons while you’re here.”
“God, no,” David said with such disgust that it piqued Lucy’s curiosity.
“I thought you liked giving riding lessons,” Lucy said.
The car fell quiet again.
When no one else looked as if they would explain, Sarah made an awkward face and said, “I may have taken advantage of David’s good nature a teeny-tiny bit, but it was for a good cause.”
Lucy looked back and forth between David and Sarah. “Now I’m curious.”
Sarah waved a hand expressively beside her. “Remember that you were engaged to someone at the time.”
Lucy watched David’s expression closely. “What did you do, Sarah?”
“I encouraged women to pay to fly in from all over to meet David. They said they wanted to learn how to ride from him, but really they came to flirt with him. You wouldn’t believe what they were willing to pay simply to meet him. It was steady money for the children’s hospital. I’m glad you two are a couple, but it’ll be tough to find another fund-raising gig like that.”